Al-Sadd coach Wesam Rizk spoke about the upcoming match against Al-Wakrah in the semi-finals of the 2024 Qatar Cup, which will be played on Wednesday evening at the Ahmed bin Ali Stadium.
In the pre-match press conference held on Tuesday morning, Wesam said: “We are delighted to have won the league title and to participate in the Qatar Cup, a tournament featuring the top four teams in the standings. The match against Al-Wakrah is crucial, and we aim for a positive result to advance to the final.”
Regarding the team’s recent loss to Al-Rayyan in the league, Al-Sadd’s coach said: “In the last match against Al-Rayyan, we made several changes to rest some players in preparation for facing Al-Wakrah. We will play this game with full force, and we are pleased with the return of some players from injury, which strengthens us ahead of the match.”
He added: “Al-Wakrah has achieved positive results in the league, and we know this well. We drew with them twice in the league, but the upcoming match is different from the previous ones. Al-Wakrah will also give their best, and we must be cautious and deliver a better performance to overcome them.”
Regarding the team’s preparations, he said: “We are preparing well for the match, and we have one final training session ahead. Our focus now is on the team’s strengths, with all our players in top form. We must remember that this match will be a different challenge compared to the league games.”
He continued: “The league championship was a long journey, and we began the competition strongly, surpassing everyone at the end. The match against Al-Wakrah in the Qatar Cup is different, and we aim to give our best, especially since we have one chance to qualify. Al-Wakrah has a good coach in Ali Rahma, and I wish him success, but not in this match.”
Regarding Al-Sadd’s absences, he said: “Guilherme Torres is injured, and his season with Al-Sadd is considered over. However, we have replacements, since the team has many outstanding players.”
Wesam also pointed out that Giovanni Henrique participated in his first training session and needs some time to prepare during the training, but he will not be present with the team in the Qatar Cup.
The coach concluded his remarks by saying: “Winning the Qatar Cup title is a personal challenge after winning the league title. Our goal is to win all the championships this season to make it a historic season for the club.”
